


Lunch Money

by That_Nerd_Cam



Category: my ocs - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-04-27 03:11:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14416416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Nerd_Cam/pseuds/That_Nerd_Cam
Summary: A bully. A nerd. A broken family. A family put together. Crushes and desperation. Two teenage girls from different worlds. In this town, its more than a cliche.





	1. Chapter 1

_ Penelope Alexandrea McHaffen was just a kid, hardly fourteen, only four feet and eight inches. She was raised by her father after her mother passed away years ago. Penelope was kind, and never made trouble, always did what she was told. She had short, neatly brushed blonde hair that touched her shoulders and forest green eyes, hidden behind a pair of thick, round glasses. Her father taught her to always do her best, never give up, and the girl did just that. She could be considered hard-headed, and stubborn, always insisting on helping even if the help is unwanted. _

_ Penelope was a genius. Smart in every subject. Art, science, mathematics, history, and talking to people. Everyone loved Penelope. She was small and dainty, able to thrive in any environment. The girl loved to help people and was loved by most. Most. _

_ But love breeds hatred and Penelope had a bully. _

_____________________________________

**Janice Emilia Jackson was a reckless teenager. A nobody. A rebel, a bully. A troubled girl with a troubled past. Her father has a heavy smoker and an even heavier drinker. He split town when she was just three, and her mother was bedridden with an illness Janice did not know of. So she stole what she could, avoiding money, but stealing food. Pickpocketing kid’s milk money, she even resorted to digging out of the trash just to find a meal. Sometimes she would sneak into the hospital just to get a glance of her mother’s sleeping face. It would never last, getting caught and kicked out every time. They didn’t know she was a Jackson. Janice couldn’t bring herself to say it. She was nothing like her mother.**

**Janice grew up fast and she grew up tough. She learned to be angry at the cruel, cold, and unforgiving world. Janice cheated, stole, and lied just to keep her mother alive, and was terrified the sweet lady would find out. She was now fifteen, five feet and three inches tall. Janice had more emotional walls up than a maze.**

 

**Until this perfect little girl showed up and changed everything. Penelope.**

            _________________________________________________

 

It was a typical windy day in December, the cold unforgiving snow setting down like a blanket on the boring town of Tutsion, Oregon.  The population of the town was small, the residents were only born here. If you looked on the map, chances are you wouldn’t see it. It was a lost treasure in a world of hate and oppression. It was a town stuck in the nineties, and the town’s people enjoyed it like that. Everyone knew everyone. People were nice and neighborly, and fusses were hardly made. Dogs or cats were returned on sight, and children directed home around curfew. It truly was paradise, despite the snow that fell from the heavens. But paradise like the town was known to few. But everyone viewed paradise as a person. Her name was Penelope. She was a freshman at the high school, always doing her best and then some. 

 

Every Saturday Penelope visited the hospital and delivered flowers. Every Sunday she would go to the church and read to the children. She would donate the money she earned from various tasks. She truly was the pride and joy of Tutsion.

  
  


Penelope hopped out of the front seat of an old, red pickup truck. She was bundled up in a purple winter coat, black pants, and a white scarf. Penelope kissed her father, a good, hardworking man, goodbye and waved at her baby brother in the back seat. He giggled and waved back , his thin blonde hair sticking up at odd angles, not a care in the world. Not that he needed one.

 

Penelope started the school day like any other, waving to her fellow peers and calling them all out by name to show she cared. She skipped along the icy path, excited to start yet another day of learning. She turned her head to wave at her math teacher, the path suddenly stopped short and Penelope skidded to a halt. Or tried to anyway. The short girl crashed into a muscular body. Janice Emilia Jackson.

 

The poor girl. The rebel. The opposite of Penelope. She was horrible. She was scary. Everyone always avoided that girl.  Store owners often told stories about catching Janice in their trash. Probably to sell goods or drugs. But her mother was in the hospital with a horrible disease. Naturally, she was banned from visitations. No money. No job, no food, no mother.

 

She had black exercise shorts and a white shirt, the sleeves tattered and ripped. Her short brown hair was never styled, a choppy haircut close to her skull. The most defining feature was her knuckles, wrapped in white bandages with spots of red, and everyone knew why.

 

People say Janice is too tough to get cold, and she never shivered either. But Penelope was smart enough to know the truth. She could never afford one. Janice was in a few of her classes, and Penelope paid attention.  Penelope visited her mother. She had heard about her father. Penelope did not pity the girl, she was above that. No. What people mistook as sympathy was empathy. Hatred was kindness. Fear was determination to know her. Penelope knew the girl had close to know friends, so her goal was to become one. It was difficult trying to talk to Janice. Her peers thought she knew all the juicy rumors. People would ask her, but it was never her place to tell , no matter if she knew or not.

 

“Hey! Watch it punk!” Janice’s voice was rough, bitter, and cold, but had hidden warmth.

 

“I’m sorry Miss Jackson! I didn’t see you there!” Penelope smiled cheerfully and dipped her head in a polite bow. “Are you off to the first period?”

 

“And what's it to you huh? Why do you care? Always sticking your pretty little nose into others business! Get lost kid!” Janice huffed and pushed open the glass doors, entering the warm school halls.

 

“O-Oh gosh… T-that was mean..” Penelope’s best friend Violet stuttered. She had a black coat and simple jeans. The shy kid always avoided unnecessary attention and hid behind her long, black hair. Violet was older by a few months, taller by a few inches. She was plump and wide-hipped, her bust large as well. Her body type classed with Penelope’s flat chest and small limbs as much as her quiet personality clashed with Penelope’s outgoing. But Penelope likes to think Opposites attract.

 

Violet only expressed herself towards Penelope, friends since the first grade.  She was quiet, always keeping her eyes on the speaker. Which was usually Penelope. She was always aware, even if she did nothing to change the situation. People might think it manipulative, but Penelope knew better. Violet would never hurt a fly.

  
  


“Hmm… Not necessarily Violet. Not necessarily..” Penelope smiled to herself as the school bell rung, giving the students ten minutes to get to their classes. Penelope could feel a warmth in Janice, like at torch inside an ice cube. All she has to do was a little digging.

 

“Y-you’re p-p-planning something a-aren’t you? O-oh I hate your p-plans. W-When e-ever you s-s-say something o-ominous you h-have a plan.” Violet fiddled with her thumbs, never liking the plots she was always dragged into.

 

“You know me. Tell the guys I’m skipping lunch.”  Penelope smiled softly at her friend, tilting her head. She was referring to Violet’s younger brother Zion, and their friend Sammy.

 

“P-Penny p-p-please. T-think this through.” Violet gingerly grabbed her friend's hand, her fingernails painted a neat matte purple. “Y-You know th-the rumors..”

 

“Violet, don’t you worry. I always think things through. And as you said!” She grinned. “They’re just rumors!” And with that, Penelope laughed turned to walk the halls, leaving Violet to worry.

 

    “O-ohhhh… Penny….” She muttered, then called to her friend. “What color do you want your roses to be at your funeral?!”

 

    “Green! It’s my lucky color!” Penelope ran backwards into the halls, her head turned, light sparkling in her eyes. “I still got another sixty years at least Vie!” She waved and tore through the halls, out of earshot.

 

    “Why a-am I friends with h-her…?” Violet huffed to herself and turned towards the herd of students making their daily commute. She hung in the back, not getting noticed. Penelope had noticed her. Penelope had always noticed her. Violet allowed her mouth to smile, just a little corner raised. “Because I l-love her.”


	2. Chapter 2

 

Violet sighed and watched the kids file in the classroom, backpacks and winter coats peeled off and set aside. She paused, allowing everyone to go in first, making sure to stay out of everyone's way. She couldn’t get Penelope off her mind, her cheeks flushed from the... Cold. Yeah, the cold. She was so distracted with worrying she hardly noticed her twin, Zion waving her down as she hung her backpack up and took her book from it. Violet plopped down in the cold plastic chair and sighed once more.

 

“Vie? Violet? Hellllllllo???” 

 

Violet snapped back to reality a few minutes later with a soft tap and hushed whispers in her ear. Zion sat next to her, his muddy boots bouncing, pen still in his hand from doodling stars on his pant leg. 

 

“Huh?” Violet looked at her brother.

 

“ I asked if you w anna see a magic trick!” Zion leaned forward next to his sister and pushed off his chair, red cloth in his hand and a thick magic book in his lap. They looked alike in dark skin tone and deep brown eyes, but Zion had short, jet black choppy hair and an orange winter coat on, despite the warm classroom. He hardly took it off his thin frame. Zion said it was because he was cold, but Violet knew it was to hide the two unwanted bumps on his chest. She made a mental note to buy him a binder.

 

“Baba not now, we’re in class!” Violet whispered and pushed his hands down, stealing a glance at the teacher droning on about things they already knew. “At lunch.” She used the affectionate name when they were together and no one can hear them. They sat together sharing a desk in the back classroom.

 

“Yeah! I bet Pen will like it! But I’m’ma show you anyway…” He grinned out of pure joy, a missing tooth in his smile. Violet felt her heartache in her chest out of love for her younger brother. The urge to protect and shelter him from the world was strong, and she held back from hugging him. “ It should cheer you up! Why are you so distracted anyway? I mean you zone out but not like this. It’s been seven minutes.”

 

“Seven minu- No no. I’m okay it's just…” Violet thought carefully on how to phrase it. Zion looked up to Penelope, she was like a second sister. If she couldn’t be there for him, Penelope was.  “Penelope isn’t spending lunch with us, Baba… She’s going to… To talk with Janice Jackson.” Violet softly broke the news to her twin, holding one of his hands and rubbing circles on his skin.

 

“What?!” Zion gaped at her, dropping his magic book on the floor. It fell with a loud thud, causing the attention of the teacher to be caught like a wild pokemon.

 

“Miss Xavier!” The teacher whipped around and glared to the back of the classroom, towards the two siblings. She squinted her eyes.

 

It took a nudge from Violet to realize that he was being addressed, not her. He frowned at the use of the word but looked at the teacher. “Y...Yes..?”

 

“I know your father has already taught you these things but that is no excuse to disrupt class Miss Zulily! Do I need to make a call?” She raised an eyebrow, not angry, but stern. 

 

“No. I’m sorry Miss. Nicolas. I was… Surprised by something. M-May I go to the bathroom..?” 

 

“Xaiver….” Miss. Nicolas warned. “Yes. Fine. But if you fail this test..”

 

Zion fiddled with his jacket. “I won’t! Scout’s honor!” Zion saluted and Miss. Nicolas tilted her head, but nodded and flicked her wrist, dismissing him. Zion quickly grabbed his bag and rushed from the classroom.

 

“Scout’s honor… Whatever does s- I assume you need to go collect Zulilly, Violet?”

 

Violet stood up at looked at her teacher with a neutral face. Violet didn’t need to express that she was upset. Everyone knew. “Yes, Ma’am. I will only be a few minutes.” She Walked to the door frame and paused, turning around. “And please call him Zion, not Zulilly.”

  
  


The halls were cold and frigid, but Zion didn’t mind. He once built an igloo single-handedly when he was ten. When he knew something was different but couldn’t place a finger on it. He knew something was off. He knew his name wasn’t supposed to be Zulilly.

 

He faced the bathrooms, pink for the girls, and blue for the boys.

 

Why can’t there be orange?

 

Orange was Zion’s favorite. From the neon brightness that yelled, ‘I’m here!’ to the sweet taste of a fruit he had tasted only a few times.

 

Zion did not like pink.

 

Zion did not like blue.

 

Zion liked orange.

 

Zion liked the color that stood out, the color most people despised. It was obnoxious, it was unnecessary. It was to weird.

 

Zion liked orange because he was orange. He stood out, he was sometimes obnoxious, and the things he does are unnecessary and weird.

 

It wasn’t long before Violet tore down the halls and found him, hugging her brother close to her chest. She smelled like… Well… Violets. She was warm in her own way, her hug to match his hug. “You know what you are.” She whispered softly into his hair.

 

“Mmm.,” Zion responded with a pout, burying his face into Violet’s jacket.

 

“They need to know what you are too.” Violet started to pick ice flakes from his hair as Zion nodded.

 

“Do you want to tell them?” Zion shook his head.

 

“Do you want to wait?” He nodded.

 

They stood there in the middle of the school hall for a good minute before he spoke.

 

“Vie..?”

 

“Yeah baba?”

 

“I really do need to go to the bathrooooomm….” 

 

Violet smiled and chuckled. She came out of her shell when it came to her brother. She gently nudged him towards the boy’s bathroom. Zion looked back at Violet, and Violet nodded. She knew she might be breaking a rule or two, and Penelope would have her ass, but the grin on his face made everything worth it.

 


End file.
